Coin-controlled apparatus.



No. 694,693. Patented Man". 4, m2.

H. a. SWEENEY.

C0|N CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

(Application filed Feb. 10, 1900.-)

3 Sheets-Sheet I (No Model.)

V INVENTOR BY/Z4&W

WITNESSES THE Noam: wz'rzns o0. PHOT0-L|THO.. WASHINGTON, a. c.

Patented Mar. 4,, 1902. H. a. SWEENEY.

COIN GIINTI'HJLLEDv APPARATUS.

(Apialication filed. Feb. 10, 1900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

mJUHh IN VEN TOR. B y%, ,2

WITNESSES .A TTORNEQ we NORHKS PETERS cov PHOTO-LITHO. wasnmarqu. n. c

Patented Mar. 4, I902.

H. G. SWEENEY." COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

(Application-filed Feb. 10, 1900.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

INVENTOR. Y

co K9 Inn WITNESSES UNIT STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HENRY G. SWEENEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,693, dated March 4, 1902.

Application filed February 10, 1900. Serial No. 4,719. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. S EENEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Coin-Controlled Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In the patent granted to me November'7, 1899, on toll-collecting apparatus for telephones, No. 636,418, I show a toll-collecting box having a coin chute or slot adjustable to diiferent sizes of coins and means for sending signals to the central office, the character of which signals informs the attendant as to the size of the coin inserted in the slot. The slot was made large enough to admit the largest coin, and one side of it was movable and adjustable to smaller coins, the adjustment being eifected by the customer prior to the insert-ion of the coin by means of a lever and an accompanying indicating-plate upon which the several positions of the lever were indicated.

My present invention is a modification of and in some respects an improvement upon thepatentedbox. Inowdispensewiththenecessity of any preliminary adjustment of the slot by the patron by making the slot self-adjusting to the coin inserted. This is done by providing it with a movable side having an operating-spring adapted to permit the mov'- able side to yield sufficiently to admit anysized coin and to return it to its normal position after the coin has been admitted. A coin arrester is also provided at the bottom of the chute, which is adjusted in unison with the movable side of the slot, and the signaling mechanism is likewise connected with the movable side, so that it is adjusted correspondingly therewith, and thus enabledto send the signal correctly designating the coin inserted.

The nature of my improvement will be more fully understood from my detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings, in which latter- Figure 1 is a perspective diagrammatical view of the working mechanismof the box. Fig. 2 is a plan, the top of the box being broken away to show the operating parts immediately below it. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the operating parts in the lower portion of the box with a portion of the clock mechanism. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of i the interior mechanism of the box, the coin-chute being in section; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view giving a full-size elevation of the clock mechanism.

In said drawings, 6 represents the box, and 7 is the coin-chute proper. The mouth of the chute, or the slot, as it is generally called, is formed partly in a slide 8 and partly in a stationary plate 9, the latter preferably in one piece with the side guides 10, upon and between which said slide moves, the slide being wide enough at top to cover the guides. The slide carries under the end of its slotted portion a roller 11, adapted to ease the friction upon the coin as it is forced into the box, and in similar relation to plate 9 is a similar and opposing roller 12. A spring 13, secured at 14 to the under side of the box-cover, has its free end inserted in a projection 14;, depending from a reciprocating bar 15, attached to and moving with slide 8, and the spring presses the bar and slide toward their normal position. The plate 9 acts as a stop to limit the thrust of this spring by its contact with the slotted end of the slide; but the spring yields in the other direction sufliciently to permit the slide to admit the largest coins. The distance between the rollers 11 and 12 when in their normal position is something less than the diameter of the smallest coin, so that no coin can be entered within the box without effecting the adjustment necessary to give the proper signal to the central station upon the turning of the signalingcrank by the patron. The farther end of bar 15 is supported bystrap 16, attached to the box-corner,

When the bar 15 is moved back by the insertion of a coin, it operates a rocking lever 17, centrally and pivotally supported upon a stationary bracket 18 and having its upper end freely jointed to the bar and its lower end connected to and operating a slide 19,

0nd plate 26, likewise pivoted to the arrester at 27, forms the other end of the slot. The latter plate is intended to release the coin from the arrester, and the former is provided with a series of acting faces 28 29 3O 31 and one for each size of the coin, and when these faces are positioned at the end of the slot theygive the slot the length necessary to enable it to arrest the coin. The positioning of plate 23 is due, it will be not-iced, to the movement given slide 8 when the coin is inserted, so that by the time the coin has rolled down chute 7 said plate will have been swung so as to position the proper one of its said faces at the slot, and the slot is thereby put in condition not only to receive but also to hold the coin.

The coin-arrester is attached to the ends of a pair of arms 32 and 33, both fast on a rockshaft 34, supported in hearings on a bracket 35, attached to the side plate 36 of the clockmovementhereinaftermentioned. The arm 32 is extended beyond the shaft upon the side opposite to that upon which the arrester is located and is there provided with a weight 37, which acts to maintain the arrester in its normal position. This weightis light enough to be overcome by the lightest coin, so that the arms will be rocked when the coin enters the arrester. The other arm 33 is also extended, and when thus rocked by the coin it encounters and lifts a horizontal arm 38, projecting from a catch 39, controlling the camwheel 40 on the shaft 41, carrying a crank 2, whereby the patron winds up the spring of the clock-motoroperating the signal mechanism, as more fully set forth in a later part of this specification. By lifting arm 38 the wheel is released from the catch, so that the patron is enabled to operate the crank and thus signal to the operator at central the size of the coin inserted. The catch 39 engages the peripheral shoulder 39 on the cam-wheel, as plainly seen at Figs. 1 and 5.

\Vhen the patron inserts his coin in the slot, he not only causes the movable side of the coin-arrester to adjust itself to the size of the coin and releases the crank-shaft whereby the patron winds up the signal-motor, but he also adjusts the adjustable contact-point of the signal mechanism so that the proper signal for the coin inserted will be transmitted to the central office. For this latterpurpose I employ the following devices: A swinging lever 50 is pivoted at 51 to the sliding bar 15 and is fulcrumed at one end to a pivoted bar 52, secured to the top of the box at 53.

size of the coin inserted, there being one such hub for each denomination of coin. The contact-spring is connected to the circuit-wire by the wire 61, and the shaft of the hubcarrying cont-acts 59 is connected by the spring 62 and wire 62 to abuzzer 63, joined to the circuit-wire by the wire 64. The hubs are provided each with a different numberof contact-arms, and the signaling mechanism, so far as the spring-contact and the rotating contact-carrying hubs are concerned, is substantially the same as that shown in my previous patent. The coin having been inserted and having moved to the coin-arrester, where it is held, and the spring-contact having been slid along its supporting-rod 57 into position opposite the proper rotating contact fingers or arms, the patron now operates the crank 42, thereby winding up the spring 65 of the clock or other motor mechanism employed to rotate the shaft 60.- For this purpose the crank is moved through a half-revolution until it encounters the stop 66. As soon as the crank 42 is released from the patrons hand the spring operates the crank-' shaft and the clock mechanism and rotates said shaft 60 through a complete revolution, thereby insuring buzzing by all the contactarms attached to any one of said hubs positioned to contact with the spring-contact. The train of gears 43, 44, and 45, the first on shaft 41 and the last on shaft 60, give shaft 60 its rotary movement.

One of the first things performed by the crank when the patron commences to move it is to lock the lever 50 in the position to which it has been moved by the sliding bar 15. v This result is due to the lifting of the vertical locking-wire 67 by the cam 68 on the cam-wheel 40, the wire entering one of the series of openings 69 in alateral arm 70,attached to the lever 50. This locking-wire is encircled by a spring 71, confined thereon between the guides 72 and the piece 73, the latter moving with the wire, so that when the wire is lifted to effect its locking action spring 71 will be compressed, and as soon as the cam-wheel returns to its normal position the spring will act to retract the lockingwire. This locking-wire, it will be seen, moves into'action as soon as the operator commences to actuate the crank and remains in action until the cam-wheel has been returned to its normal position by the motorspring.

The under surface of the arm is notched with notches corresponding to the different sizes of coin, and these notches are engaged by a pivoted catch-lever 74, which is joined to a substantially vertical wire 75, carrying at its lower end a rounded footpiece 76. The catch-leveris normallypressed into acting position by a spring. 77, and consequently engages the arm 70 whenever opportunity is given it to do so. It does not interfere with the movements of the arm when the springcontactisbcing adjusted; but it immediately wheel 43 of the motor mechanism just prior.

to the completion of the operation of the signal mechanism, and this causes the release by 'the catch-lever of the arm 70, so that the arm and contact-carrying lever can then return to normal position. 1 have shown in the drawings a movable plate 79,normally interposed between the arm 70 and the catch-lever and preventing the locking action of the catch-lever when no locking is-desired. Thisplate I mount on the end of a bent wire'80, its other end being joined to the roller-block 81, in which the roller 12 is supported upon the pivot 82. This rod is given alimited movementby the coin at the time of the latte'rs insertion, said block yielding for'this purpose, so that the bent wire 80 will swing upon the center 83, located at its bend, and carry said plate 79 awayfrom its acting location,thus leaving the catch-lever 74 free to lock said arm 70. A spring 84 acts on the block 81 and returns it and the wire-and plate to their normal positions as soon as the catch-lever is released from engagement with arm 70 by the motorwheel 43, as already explained.

The plate 26, which releases the coin from the coinarrester, is operated as follows: An upstanding pin 85 bears against the arm 86, projecting from said plate, and is supported upon a right-angle-shaped slide 87, and this slideis actuated earlyin the winding-up motion given to the crank 42 by the patron by means of a bent arm 88 fast to said slide and hearing at one end against the side of the cam-wheel 40. When the cam-wheel begins to turn, the cam 89cm the wheel-encounters said lever and actuates the slide in such di rection as to cause the pin 85 to swing the plate 26 on its pivot, and thereby to lengthen the slot of the coin-arrester by bringing the oifset 90 of the plate in registerwith the slot.

Aspring 91 acts on the arm 86 of the plate 26 and forces it back to its normal position as soon as the bent arm 88 passes off the cam 89 in the return rotation of the cam-wheel, and of course the slide 87 moves back at the same time.

The locking-wire 67 is bent at its upper end to bring its acting point into the plane of the openings of the cam 70, as plainly indicated at Figs. 1 and 5, and some means maybe employed to prevent the wire turning on its axis-such, for instance, as the guide 92, encircling the acting end of the wire. The enlargement shown at 93 is an insulator and connects the upper and lower parts of wire 67, which is made in two parts to permit insulation. A spring 94', having one end inserted in the enlargement and the other stationarily secured, may be employed to supplement or as a substitute for the spring 71.

It will be noticed that when the coin-slot is expanded to admit a coin the expansion is such as to bring the length of the slot into agreement with the diameter of the coin and that the circuit-closer 58 is moved to a greater distance than the expanding side of the slot, but in precise correspondence with it. It results from this that if aninferior coin'as,

for instance, a penny, which is larger than a dime and smaller than a nickelis inserted, while such coin will be arrested by the coinarrester, and thus cause the release of the motor of the signal mechanism, so that it may be operated, yet such coin will not avail to enable the person depositing it to send any signal whatever to the central office, because it will position the circuit-closer between the firstand second hubs 59, so that no contact will take place between the circuit-closer and the contact-points carried by the hubs. The operation of the handle 42 will, nevertheless, discharge the coin from the arrester, so that the apparatus will be in readiness for the next patron. The same result will follow any attempt touse the apparatus with any coin or substitute for coin which is either over or under the proper size, except that if it is less in diameter than a dime it might not operate the movable side of the slot or be arrested by the a'rrester. It will be noticed that the coin-slot is normally smaller than the smallestcoin, so that no coin can be inserted without actuating the movable side of the slot and causing the adjustment of the coin-arrester, the adjustment of the signal mechanism, and the release of the hand-crank; also,'that the patron is required to push the coin into the slot, using such force as may be necessary to overcome the resistance of the moving side and cause it to yield to the extent necessary to admit the coin; also, that the cam-wheel 4O performs functions when moving in both directions'- it actuates the devices for releasing the coins from the coin-arrester and lifts the lockingwire 67. In its return, under the power of the spring in the direction of the second arrow it allows the return of the coin-releasing device and the descent of the locking-wire. Thewheel also acts with catch 39 to lock the motor, and thus to prevent any tampering with that part of the apparatus.

It will be understood that insulation is employed wherever it is needed to insure the.

sending of signals Whenever the spring circuit-closer is struck by the contact-fingers of hubs 59.

v I claim 1. Atoll-collectingapparatus havingacoin receiving slot, combined with coin-operated means at the entrance of said slot for gaging the coin while held by the patron, substantially as set forth.

2. A toll-collecting apparatus having a coinreceiving slot the entrance to which is normally of a size smaller than that of the smallest coin adapted to operate said apparatus, said entrance com prising coin-operated means for gaging the coin while held by the patron, substantially as set forth.

3. A toll-collecting apparatus havinga coinreceiving slot the entrance to which is normally of a size smaller than that of the smallest coin adapted to operate the apparatus, said entrance comprising coin-operated means forgaging the coin while held by the patron, combined with a signaling mechanism which is difierently operated by said coin-operated means according to the size of the coin inserted, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination in toll-collecting apparatus for telephones, of a coin-slot having an expanding or yielding side operable by the coin when the latter is inserted and by which expanding side the slot is adapted to be used with various sizes of coin, an adjustable coinarrester having its adjustment efiected by said yielding side, and signaling mechanism having a circuit-closer also connected and positioned by said yielding side, substantially as specified.

5. The combination in toll-collecting apparatus for telephones, of a coin-slot having an expanding or yielding side operable by the coin when the latter is inserted, an adjustable coin-arrester having its adjustment effected by said yielding side, a signaling mechanism having an adjustable circuit-closer positioned by said yielding side, a motor for operating said signal mechanism, and means for normally locking said motor releasable by said yielding side, substantially as specified.

6. The combination in a toll-collecting apparatus, of a coin-chute the slot whereof is provided with a yielding side operable by the coin when inserted by the patron and requiring to be operated with all the different coin I to which the apparatus is adapted, a signal mechanism adjusted by said yielding side, and a motor for operating said mechanism in sending the signals, substantially as specified.

7. The coin-controlling mechanism having its coin-receiving slot provided with a movable side normally positioned so as to render the slot too small to admit a coin without some yielding by said side, said yielding side being connected to and regulating the coinarrester of the mechanism, substantially as specified.

8. The coin-slot of coin-controlled apparatus, having at one side of its mouth a device capable of a limited amount of yield and at the opposite side thereof a device capable of yielding sufliciently to admit the large coin, both sides being operated by the coin at the time of its insertion and both having retracting-springs, substantially as specified.

9. The combination with the spring-con tact of the signal mechanism, of the adjusting-1e ver the lateral arm and the wire 67 engaging said arm and locking-lever 50 during the sending of the signal, substantially as specified.

10. The combination with the sliding bar 15 and its retracting-spring, of the lever 50, the signal mechanism embracing the spring-contact 58, the arm 70 attached to said lever, and a wire engaging the arm and locking it during the operation of the signal mechanism, substantially as specified.

11. The combination with the sliding bar 15 and its retracting-spring, of the lever 50, the signal mechanism embracing the spring-contact 58, the arm 70 attached to said leverpa wire engaging the arm and locking it during the operation of the signal mechanism, a plate normally interposed between said wire and said arm, and means for moving said plate into and out of acting position, substantially as specified.

HENRY G. SWEENEY. Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EDW. S. EVARTS. 

